Do you need another dip for your mezzeh spread? Well, here you go. This dip goes VERY well with grilled meats and fish. We had this with our BBQ’ed chicken over Easter break, and it is a twist on muthawama (garlic potato dip). This is an avocado version which is slightly mellower, yet still has lots of garlic flavor. Avocado Garlic … [Read more…]
Helba – Fenugreek Cake Bars
This is my first dessert/sweet post on this blog. I think Helba is a good introduction to Levantine sweets.Helba is a traditional sweet, dense cake bar made of fenugreek seeds and sweetened with a sugar syrup. This is a completely vegan dessert. You will note that the cake itself only has 1 tablespoon of sugar that is dissolved with the yeast. That … [Read more…]
Saturday Brunch – Bakdounsiya – Parsley Dip
Bakdounsiya is a common sight in a Levantine mezzeh spread. It is typically eaten with pita bread, just like hummus or any of the other mezzeh dips. It goes very well with grilled meats. If you thin this out a bit more, it would be a good sauce or dressing to drizzle on top of grilled kofta, kabobs, fish, or falafel. Bakdounsiya – … [Read more…]
Hummus with Parsley
16 ounce canned Chickpeas, drained, reserving liquid 1 small clove garlic 2 tablespoons Tahini 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil Juice of half a lemon 1/2 cup parsley salt to taste More extra virgin olive oil for serving Pour chickpeas into blender. Add reserved liquid, to half the level of the chickpeas. Add garlic, tahini, olive oil, lemon … [Read more…]
Saturday Brunch : Fava Bean Dip – Ful
Fava beans (both fresh and dried) are very extensively used in the Mediterranean region, in cooking, salads, and dips. In Arabic (الفول) , it is pronounced fool, and can be spelled ful/fool/foul. I am choosing to go with “ful”, because well, it isn’t confusing with another, less-tasty, meaning 🙂 It is very nutritious, and very hearty and … [Read more…]
On Spinach pies (Fatayer/Aqrass bi Sabanekh) and Lent in the Levant
On Spinach pies (Fatayer/Aqrass bi Sabanekh) and Lent in the Levant In the Levant region, Lent started on either March 3 or March 5 this year, depending on denomination. Lent is the season leading up to Easter. It is a season of abstinence and fasting for many Christians world-wide, with different levels of abstinence. Eastern Orthodox … [Read more…]
Hummus with Ground Beef
Hummus is a very versatile food. You can have it for breakfast or a snack. You can top it with ground beef, and have a very hearty lunch or dinner. We often have this as part of our weekend brunch. We eat a little later in the morning, and have a good spread of several items to hold us till we eat our second meal which is later in the afternoon … [Read more…]
Layered Pita Eggplant Salad with Yogurt Dressing
As promised, here is the salad recipe from the previously mentioned small dinner party. This is a lovely salad where the whole is quite a lot more than the sum of it’s parts. It brings together the fresh crunchy lettuce, onions, and cucumbers, the warm fried eggplant and potatoes, the crispy bread, and the nutty chickpeas. It is very … [Read more…]
Salmon with Lemony Parsley Butter sauce
This is a follow up to the previous dinner party post, where I posted the recipe for Salmon with Soy Maple Sauce. This salmon filet was baked and topped with a lemon parsley butter sauce, as shown below. It is super easy, quick, and very tasty. We served this with Quinoa Mujadara, turmeric rice, and layered pita salad (salad recipe to be posted … [Read more…]
Musakhan – Chicken with lemon, onions, olive oil, and sumac, over pita or flatbread
My sister is here visiting and requested that I make Musakhan. My brother frequently asks me to make it as well. In fact, if he is here, I don’t bother asking him what he would like me to make, since the answer is invariably Musakhan. It is a favorite of friends and family, for sure. Musakhan, literally meaning “heated”, is a traditional … [Read more…]